tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post4131610283838935701..comments2024-03-27T21:23:40.339-04:00Comments on Chemjobber: NYT asks, college or a job for rural Montana kids? Chemjobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-77450032957910782582013-01-02T13:45:58.406-05:002013-01-02T13:45:58.406-05:00"most of those kids who leave Montana after c..."most of those kids who leave Montana after college will probably go to work in some soulless cubicle farm and live in some equally soulless suburb."<br /><br />which is much better than living in rural Montana... There are two types of folks in rural MT... Those who want to leave at any cost and those who'd never think of leaving. Most in MT have probably never been outside their small communities.<br /><br />"The communities are refusing to even try to keep housing up with demand until the economy stabilized leaving the newly arrived workers living out of hotels"<br /><br />communities like this physically cannot keep up with housing booms. There is not enough labor or supplies available in the area. However, with each of these booms many times there is a bust after infrastructure for new technologies is in place. Doubt the kid is living with the parents as a result of boom anyway... Free room and board means more toys for him.<br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-19193981466324967832012-12-31T16:54:32.348-05:002012-12-31T16:54:32.348-05:00Another thought as to why the kid is still living ...Another thought as to why the kid is still living with his parents. There is a serious housing crunch that comes with the increased job availability. The communities are refusing to even try to keep housing up with demand until the economy stabilized leaving the newly arrived workers living out of hotels.<br /><br />Cheap standard of living indeed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-87514052840911456682012-12-30T00:05:33.866-05:002012-12-30T00:05:33.866-05:00I've worked with chemists from rural areas who...I've worked with chemists from rural areas who tell me that their blue-collar friends and relatives who stayed behind have nicer houses and cars than them due to the housing-cost differences between rural and rich suburban areas. Seems like all that effort to get undergrad and graduate degrees is like running on a treadmill.<br /><br />Don't forget that we aren't just taking about chemists here - most of those kids who leave Montana after college will probably go to work in some soulless cubicle farm and live in some equally soulless suburb.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-34226691381595835272012-12-28T09:01:00.171-05:002012-12-28T09:01:00.171-05:00I still think the four year college experience, is...I still think the four year college experience, is extremely valuable. Perhaps some of costs are still a bit inflated, but spending a meager four years of your youth, in a densely populated area of young adults, learning about stuff not related to the oil boom has got to be more personally enriching and character developing than blowing your paycheck on a big chevy and living in your parents house.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-47352642180537836042012-12-27T17:02:16.218-05:002012-12-27T17:02:16.218-05:00$40k/ yr as a 19-old is better than $40k/ yr as a ...$40k/ yr as a 19-old is better than $40k/ yr as a 35-yr old postdoc.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-90305202950233210442012-12-26T18:40:59.289-05:002012-12-26T18:40:59.289-05:00I've been thinking for some time if that my ch...I've been thinking for some time if that my children aren't in the top 20% or so of students, that having them learn a trade and then using the money that would have been spent on college go towards helping them start or buy out a small business once they got the hang of things.<br /><br />Imagine this: For about $100,000, you can buy out a hair salon running a profit of over $30,000 per year. Have your kid go to beauty school (one year, total cost around $10,000 after tax credits), then work in a local salon for a few years. If they haven't proven themselves to be a complete screw up at this point, help them buy a salon of their own. Poof! They now have a $30,000 per year income stream AND will likely work in their own salon, bringing in another $20,000 per year. They would also be the boss, have growth opportunities, and actually own a $100,000 asset which they could use for further collateral and expansion.<br /><br />You could repeat this logic with any number of small local businesses. <br /><br />Ogemaniachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02396797613368443908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-52601119768079669122012-12-26T13:27:19.321-05:002012-12-26T13:27:19.321-05:00As someone who comes from that neck of the woods, ...As someone who comes from that neck of the woods, and has some family still there, I get concerned for these sorts of situations. When Mr. Findlay says "They're going to have to come back and look for work", he's missing two major points.<br /><br />1) That his friends are going into careers that are ever amenable to returning to eastern Montana. I left for college many years ago, and other than the (more than) occasional Resodyn posting, there is very little for any chemistry job in Montana.<br /><br />2) The oil/gas fields won't dry up in his lifetime. It's possible that he could make an entire career out of this. But many of the people who are moving up there are in support positions, building a significant amount of infrastructure that isn't there because in the past, it was one exit away from the middle of nowhere. Those support positions won't continue as the oilfield develops and matures.<br /><br />Take my opinion with an entire bag of salt, because I took the first train out of Montana. I would love to move back at some point, but realized long ago that it was pretty much a one way ticket for me.Polychemhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11318163213252728838noreply@blogger.com